Leave politics to politicians, Ebute advises CAN
By Tom Okpe, Abuja
A former Senate President of the National Assembly, Senator Ameh Ebute, has advised the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to depart the political arena for the main gladiators.
According to him, the country’s Christian leaders have been delving into partisan politics and abandoning their primary assignment of soul-winning.
He gave the advice at a two-day international conference on politics, religion and ethnicity in Nigeria, organized by the National Inter-Faith and Religious Organizations’ for Peace (NIFROP).
Ebute criticized the chairman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Prof. Ango Abdullahi, urging him to desist from “reducing Nigeria or the geographical north to an ethnic or religious fiefdom.
“Why do we draw the swords against ourselves for political, ethnic or religious reasons? Where and when did we abandon our cherished traditional norms of hospitality and brotherhood? Why so much hate and animosity between brothers/sisters and among communities, over such molten factors, which ought to unite, rather than divide us?
“I regret to say, we have deviated so extraneously from the solid foundations our founding fathers and world-recognized nationalists laid for the future of this great nation, Nigeria. These great Nigerians did great things for Nigeria. Nobody actually heard about their religion, ethnicity or region in the country to the level of interfering with the delicate cords which bind Nigeria together as one strong and indivisible entity.
“Whatever Nigeria’s forbearers wished for our nation, Nigeria, is embodied by President Buhari. He is now the trusted anchorman because we have seen in him the traits of a genuine leader, who does not only regret our shameful departure from the standpoint of this nation, but is also prepared to lead the path for our glorious recovery.
“President Buhari is a rare leader, gifted to us at this time of our political existence. And we are elected to rally around him to reclaim Nigeria from all the destructive forces of darkness.
“I caution all religious leaders in Nigeria, especially those of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), my primary constituency, as a Christian, to de-robe themselves from the garments of partisanship or political parties. There is no need to heat the polity with inflammable comments at this delicate period of our history.
“Religious leaders must necessarily leave politics for politicians, if we want this nation to progress in peace and unity. All of you must agree with me that our people have been wrongly indoctrinated to believe religion is something so sensitive enough to spark violence and killings.”
